Berwick quarterback CJ Curry turned in an MVP performance to lead the East squad to victory in the PSFCA East West All Star game at Franklin Regional Field , passing for 4 scores in a 35-25 win. “I really didn’t think I did anything special. If I could I’d give the entire team this trophy” said the East MVP. “Our defense just came out and played shut down ball, they really did a great job”.
Curry started things off quickly, hitting Martin Luther King’s Delane Hart in the corner for a 46 yard scoring pass on just the second offensive play for the East. Penn State bound Troy Stivason of Athens kicked the point after and the East led 7-0 with just over 2 minutes off the clock.
“We couldn’t stop giving them the ball and that’ll just hurt you when you have athletes like this on the field” said Selinsgroves Dave Hess of the West coaching staff. In all the West had 6 turnovers, 3 in each half. None of the turnovers led to points but what it did was keep a potent offense off the field.
Curry got his second td pass near the end of the second period again connecting with Hart, this one a 10 yard pass. Stivason made it 14-0 with just 1:06 remaining in the first half. TO say play was physical in the first half would be an understatement as both teams showed some aggression before and after plays. The aggression would come to an ugly head in the 3rd quarter. Following a 95 yard kick return by Stealton-Highspire’s James Warren to make it a 21-0 East lead, the West was pinned deep in their own territory. On the third play of the series a bench clearing brawl resulted in 6 ejections, 3 for each team. “I felt like the game crew, coaches and officials did a great job of controlling a volatile situation there” said West coach Pat Monroe.
The West would finally mount a scoring drive. Littlestown qb Trevor Hildebrand found Miles Williamson, who battled with East DB James Warren all game long, and the two combined for a 16 yard td pass. The point after was blocked by Warren making it 21-6 with 6 minutes remaining in the 3rd.
Midway through the 4th Curry hooked up with Old Forge stud fullback Shane Shuback for a 3 yard td pass and Stivason made it 28-6. It was at this point the West squad mounted a furious comeback attempt. West Mifflin’s Jimmy Wheeler scampered in for a 2 yard run to make it 28-12. An onside kick attempt was recovered by the West. Five plays later Singh found Delvon Randall for a 12 yard scoring strike bringing the score to 28-18. Randall, of Gateway High School and bound for Temple University, had 9 receptions for 112 yards. Curry put the game out of reach with 1:19 remaining, hitting Malik Lewis of Dallastown on a 2 yard scoring pass.
Franklin Regional led the West squad garnering MVP but said “it would have been nicer to get the win on my home field. Overall it was a great experience and I’ll treasure it as long as I can”.
Berwick’s Dain Kowalski led the East defense with a monstrous 9 tackles, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery. “I couldn’t have asked for better teammates. This was a great time”.
